Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Beer: Raspberry Sour
Style: American Wild Ale
ABV: 6.5%
Character: Brewed with raspberries added, aged in oak barrels
Ratings: BA: 92 | Untappd: 4.03
Metal Connection: SUFFER – On Sour Ground
BeerMetalDude Rating: 5/5
Good ‘ol Avery Brewing Company. What’s there to say about this awesome brewery that rarely seems to fail me, except for the fact that they retired their Demons of Ales Series of beers (Samael’s, The Beast, and Mephistopheles). I have had those beer from previous years, but not within the time I was taking notes for this site, so unless I can still find them out there, they will never grace this site.
Sad indeed, but we are not here for hose beers. We are here to discuss their year round release, Raspberry Sour, a sous ale with added raspberries and aged in oak barrels. Yet another solid release from this Boulder, Colorado brewery.
I purchased this beer locally here in San Antonio at one of our destination Craft Beer stores. As I was scanning the isles for a few minutes as I always do before purchasing, this one shined out to me, as I had not had this beer yet. Their typical label shield is here, as with the whole Botanicals and Barrels Series, the background is a barrel with the main color of the actual label being green. Drawn vines with raspberries grace the label. The 22 oz bomber bottle is topped with green foil, adding tot he eye catching appeal to this bottle.
I poured this beer into a Jester King long stemmed wine glass, this beer appeared a ruby reddish brown color that was hazy. It was topped with a thin layer of tan bubbles, which didn’t stick around for long, leaving no lacing down the glass, but this usually is the case with Sour beers, at least in my case.
This beer had a huge raspberry aroma that was pretty dominant to my senses. The oak wood from the barrel was also riding along side the fruit on this bad boy. There was a bit of a floral scent hiding behind the two big players of raspberry and oak wood. Vanilla is also something that comes to mind when smelling this beer. Of course you will be able to tell this is a sour beer with the tartness hitting the nose from the beginning to end as you try to pick out each piece to the aroma.
The taste is exactly what is promised with this beer, raspberries and barrels. The fruit flavor hits the palate first and dominates over all other flavors. The oak wood from the barrels are a close second in dominance. Floral and vanilla characteristics show up throughout each taste behind the raspberries and barrel. Not too much else is really detected, but that is perfectly fine, as that is all this beer needs to be a perfect tasting beer, in my opinion.
The body was a nice medium thickness with a smooth, yet dry mouthfeel that also sticks around to the finish. There is little to no carbonation.
Overall, I found this beer to be extraordinary. It bursts with raspberry fruit and oak wood flavors, which work so well together. I am very happy to have this beer within arms reach at my local stores. I do plan on getting a couple more of these. I suggest you do the same! Cheers!
Metal Connection: Suffer is a Swedish Death/Thrash Metal band that formed in 1988 (I was 11) and unfortunately broke up in 1994. Within this short time frame, they managed to release several demo tapes, a 7″ vinyl single, a couple of EP’s, and one Full length album. I own the band’s 1994 full length, Structures, but it was their 1993 EP, Global Warning that caught my attention to this band. I remember buying that EP due to the cover art, which is a Salvador Dali piece called “The Face of War.” Before this EP came out, Suffer released a 7″ vinyl single, which featured two songs, “My Grief,” and “On Sour Ground.” I believe you can tell which is the song I chose for this installment of Metal Connection.
The song “On Sour Ground” is a perfect example of early 90’s Death/Thrash Metal. Fast ripping thrashy guitar riffs, fast double bass, blast beats, clear and raspy screamed vocals. I believe these guys had potential to be a major player in the early days of the Underground scene as we know it. The production on this recording also bleeds early 90’s, as it is not over produced or polished up in any way. Sounds like they probably just jammed it live in the studio and hit record. Be sure to crank this baby up to 11, and get ready to thrash around your living space or your Sour Ground. Eh, eh, see what I did there?! Grrrrrrrr!!!!
Beer Metal Media 